The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) has urged the government to address shortcomings in NHS eye care funding, despite welcoming its focus on economic growth and the three NHS shifts.
In its response to HM Treasury and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the OFNC highlighted the vital role of primary eye care in the economy, warning that underfunding by the NHS put it at risk.
OFNC has called for an additional £350m in funding for NHS primary eye care - just 0.17% of the NHS’s planned 2025/26 budget.
OFNC chair Paul Carroll said: ‘We have called for the Treasury to work with DHSC to address underfunding of primary eye care services in England. It is time to stop disregarding the evidence on the cost of providing vital NHS primary eye care services.’
